"National Education Association president Bob Chase told about 500 cheering teachers that the strike had captured the attention of all the nation's teachers."

"Pick a fight with any of us, and you've picked a fight with all of us!"

That leaves how many more of these left-wing maggots to round up before the nation's air is clear?

"I try to teach my students this country is fair and just. In this process, the law is not fair and just. Sometimes good people have to stand up to fight an unjust law, and that's what I'm doing," said Guenther

I wonder how she would feel if I committed an act of civil disobedience regarding some of New Jersey's onerous and unconstitutional anti-gun laws? She, like most left-wing, overpaid, underworked "teachers" would probably feel she and the NJEA and NEA have the right to pick and choose what rights the mass of the public should enjoy.

Obviously, they feel the public should pay the cost of their benefits and salary increases because they do such a good job. Hah!!

Say there, Teacher; any comment(s)?
I for one would be interested hearing any & all you might have to say concerning how this *matter's* being handled in good ol' NJ.

...here, have an apple. :^)

Hey, this is great if it is true that the community is not behind the teachers. Public School teachers in affluent communities are the most spoiled brats in the world. They probably work like 8-3, never work overtime. They get two weeks off for christmas, 1 week off in the spring, and 3 months off in the summer. For extra money, they tutor kids for $50 bucks per hour cash.

Two striking teachers are led to court in handcuffs in Freehold, N.J., where a judge ordered them and 21 other teachers jailed for defying his back-to-work order. Associated Press photo by Daniel Hulshizer

secondly the supreme court gives everyone else the right to strike, teachers should have that right as well

I agree that they shouldn't go to jail for striking, but at the same time the district should be allowed to fire them all and hire non-union teachers.

"Hey, this is great if it is true that the community is not behind the teachers. Public School teachers in affluent communities are the most spoiled brats in the world. They probably work like 8-3, never work overtime. They get two weeks off for christmas, 1 week off in the spring, and 3 months off in the summer. For extra money, they tutor kids for $50 bucks per hour cash."

That is the most ridiculous statement. I live in an affluent community, and I can assure you that the teachers here are putting in well more than 40 hours of work a week. Many of those teachers are mentoring the children of two-income families who have no time for their teenagers. I saw this while my older two were in public school. Some kids would have no involvement with an adult if it weren't for teachers. High school, for example, starts at 7:20. All teachers must be on campus by 7:00, earlier if they have duty. No teacher leaves before 3:30, and many stay later. That doesn't include teachers who are involved in extracurricular activities, some of whom get paid an extra two hundred dollars a month for an extra forty or so hours of work. Teachers have about 20 minutes for lunch, and can't leave campus. They grade papers at home. It's also against the law to accept money from any parent of a student in the school. Teachers may tutor students from other schools for extra pay. It's called "free enterprise." Summer break is now about two months of the year, and of that time, many teachers have to take continuing education classes.

I can't stand the NEA and it's liberal ideologies, am NOT a professional teacher, but homeschool my younger kids. I see plenty wrong with schools, but, frankly, most of the problems have to do with the stronghold the NEA has over the government, and the parents who expect the schools to raise their kids.

The problem is not with Teachers. The problem is with parents not giving a damn what is taught in school just as long as their foul seed receives an inflated grade. It is time freepers began to run for school board in their local areas. It costs almost nothing except a little time. You can easily get your name on the ballot and you would make quite a differance.

Lets change that a bit.

The problem is not with parents. The problem is with teachers not giving a damn what is taught in school just as long as they receive an inflated paycheck and pension. It is time "conservative teachers" began to run for office in their liberal union. It costs almost nothing except a little time. You can easily get your name on the ballot and you would make quite a differance.

[And 'involontary servantude'? A little mellodramatic don't you think? In Michigan teachers with some time in and a graduate degree can make over $70,000 per year. And they get summers off along with five weeks vacation during the school year.

The problem is that in the end, there will not be any teachers in this school district, nor any that will choose to teach there without huge salary/tax increases.

Teachers have many employment offers, severe shortage. In many areas, they name their price; that is how critical the shortage is. Once a school district gets a reputation of being unfair, majority of teachers look elsewhere.

I live in a very conservative area, no taxes; stresses the school district, but still a good thing. Several years ago, finances forced the school district to lay off many new teachers every June, then rehire them in August. After 2 years of this procedure, (which was more politics than financial) the school district found they could not attract any teachers and were losing the ones they had. It all related to perceptions and the policy was changed. It will take years to change this negative perception and it has translated into higher taxes, to pay higher wages, to attract new teachers.

If 90% of teachers go to the pokey, I figure 70% will leave the district and then you watch taxes go through the roof.

More conservatives should become teachers and do something about the problem than just screaming kill the teachers on FR. I went back to school, became certfied, and now throughly enjoy teaching; its just great. I see some teachers that are super dems/nea but I see just as many that are conservative or in the middle.

Well, your town is a lot different than mine!

They are allowed off campus, they each have at least one free hour during the day, and believe me, they all tutor kids on the side, often for more than $50 per hour. My French teacher did so well he had a house in France where he spent three months every summer.

Yet somehow the private schools manage to hire teachers just fine, and pay them less too!

"She's a talented professional, and she's being treated like a common criminal. What teacher would want to go back and teach in a community that treats them like that?"

Why would a community want them back when they treat the community like trash?

You break the law, you pay the price. This is ridiculous. I want my kids taught respect for the law, and legitimate authority, even if you disagree with them. They could continue to fight and not strike.

Ridiculous.

get your moose for this winter?

That one hour is for work, and it's only a small fraction of the time needed to plan lessons, and grade papers for 150 or more students. High school teachers don't have teacher assistants to do their dirty work.

I've been through the system with my older two. I grew to admire many of the teachers there, even "liberal" teachers who reached out to kids whose parents were no where to be found. (In fact, here in Texas, most teachers weren't liberal.) I was one of the few parents very involved in our local high school, and, quite honestly, I grew to hate many parents more than I ever grew to hate the teachers. Being a christian, that's not a particularly kind thing to say....but I'm sick of parents who don't have the time to raise their kids. I saw A LOT of hurt and angry teenagers, many from divorced homes.

My kids were involved in various activities, including theater. Their theater teacher was a fairly liberal man, but frankly, he was the only "family" some of those kids had. I grew to love him, if only because he truly cared about the kids. I'm not really exagerrating. I was completely disgusted by the time my kids got out of high school.

And you forgot that they make on average over $56,000 dollars per year.

That one hour is for work

No, its not. They mostly putz around.

secondly the supreme court gives everyone else the right to strike, teachers should have that right as well

I agree that they shouldn't go to jail for striking, but at the same time the district should be allowed to fire them all and hire non-union teachers

They are not going to jail for striking. They are going to jail for defying a court order. There is a difference.

IT'S AGAINST THE LAW FOR TEACHERS TO STRIKE